Thursday, June 18, 2009

TEHRAN: The three defeated candidates in Iran's presidential election have cited 646 violations in the June 12 poll, electoral watchdog the Guardians Council said on Thursday.

The council's spokesman Abbasali Khadkhodai told state television that one candidate had cited 390 violations, a second 160 and the third 96.

He did identify the candidate making each number of violations.

The three defeated candidates are moderate ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi, reformist former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and the conservative former head of the elite Revolutionary Guards Mohsen Rezai.

Official results gave incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad outright victory in the election without the need for any second round run-off.